Rain Gardens in the Watershed

Managing stormwater on your property is an important and necessary component for improving water quality and reducing risks of localized flooding. Rain gardens are a type of green stormwater infrastructure that captures rainwater coming off impervious surfaces or manicured lawns, allowing it to slow down and soak into the ground before entering storm sewers or waterways.

Native flowering plants and grasses are used in rain gardens to help filter out pollutants from initial runoff surges, while also providing beauty to your property, not to mention food and shelter for wildlife. A key focus area for our WaterTowns® initiative is helping communities learn about the benefits of rain gardens and information on how to construct one.

HUNTINGTON WOODS RAIN GARDEN

The Statue Park rain garden was constructed using WaterTowns® $5,000 mini-grant funding opportunity. Installation was completed in a single day with help from the city’s Public Works Department and the Huntington Woods Environmental Council volunteers. The project came in under budget and the remaining mini-grant amount will be used for maintenance of the garden as needed.

Royal oak rain garden

CRWC staff assisted in the design and construction of the first garden put in as part of Royal Oak’s new residential rain garden program. This garden was also constructed in a single day with help from the homeowner and volunteers from the Royal Oak Environmental Action Board.

NATIVE SPECIES IN THE WATERSHED

A major component of various CRWC initiatives is promoting the use of native vegetation. All of our restoration sites and green infrastructure projects involve establishing native plant species to help hold soil, slow runoff, filter water, and build habitat for wildlife.

MONARCH BUTTERFLY

The monarch butterfly is one charismatic species we like to focus on when encouraging planting native flowering species, such as milkweed.